Michael Ballack names Premier League club as his ‘favourites’ to win Champions League

Michael Ballack says helium has been ‘positively surprised’ by Arne Slot’s awesome commencement astatine Liverpool and named the nine arsenic his ‘favourites’ to triumph this season’s Champions League.

Liverpool maintained their 100 per cent grounds successful Europe’s premier contention with a 2-1 decision of ten-man Lille connected Tuesday night.

The Reds appeared to beryllium heading for a comfy triumph arsenic Aissa Mandi was fixed his marching orders midway done the 2nd fractional aft Mohamed Salah’s 34th-minute opener connected Merseyside.

But Jonathan David equalised conscionable moments aft Mandi’s reddish paper to acceptable up an intriguing finish, lone for Harvey Elliot to reconstruct the hosts’ pb with a deflected onslaught conscionable 5 minutes later.

The triumph – Liverpool’s seventh connected the rotation successful Europe – secured Slot’s men a spot successful the circular of 16, which begins successful March. The Premier League leaders volition beryllium seeded and look 1 of the 8 teams that beforehand from February’s playoffs.

‘If successful tennis you are the No.1 effect it is amended to look the No.24 than the 12th, but it is simply a ranking based connected years,’ Liverpool caput manager Slot said soon aft the last whistle.

‘Now we are successful a caller format erstwhile immoderate teams are precocious successful the league array due to the fact that they had a fortunate gully and immoderate teams are debased due to the fact that they person a precise hard draw.

‘It is acold disconnected to accidental it is an vantage to beryllium 1 oregon two.

‘You mightiness beryllium lucky, you mightiness beryllium precise unlucky.

‘For me, it doesn’t archer maine anything. The astir important happening is we managed to skip a round.’

Speaking to German work Sport Bild aft Tuesday’s fixtures, Ballack picked retired Liverpool arsenic the standout contenders to get their hands connected this year’s trophy.

‘Judging by their performances truthful far, Real Madrid are not my apical favourite,’ the erstwhile Bayern Munich, Chelsea and Germany midfielder said.

‘That would beryllium Liverpool, who are presently dominating the Champions League.

‘I was positively amazed by however Arne Slot managed the modulation aft the Jurgen Klopp epoch came to an end.

‘It is ever doubly arsenic hard erstwhile you travel greats similar Klopp oregon idiosyncratic similar Jose Mourinho astatine my erstwhile nine Chelsea, who achieved thing unique.

‘I spot Atalanta arsenic the concealed favourite. They person a wide program offensively and defensively and dominated Bayer Leverkusen successful past year’s Europa League final.’

Assessing Bayern’s chances successful Europe, Ballack said: ‘It depends connected 2 factors: our ain show and however beardown the contention is.

‘I tin spot that the squad person improved nether Vincent Kompany compared to the erstwhile season.

‘He’s got them going with his benignant of play, with assertive and violative shot aft a fewer adjustments successful defence.

‘There is not a batch of contention with 5 oregon six outstanding teams truthful the last is perfectly doable for Bayern, particularly if Jamal Musiala continues to play well.’

By his standards, Kylian Mbappe has had a dependable commencement for Real Madrid successful this year’s Champions League, managing conscionable 2 goals successful his opening six matches.

But Ballack has nary uncertainty that the France guardant volition beryllium a ‘sensation’ for Madrid erstwhile helium has afloat settled into beingness successful the Spanish capital.

‘Because helium does not yet person the stableness that helium had during his clip successful Paris, helium does not yet person the power connected the squad that Lionel Messi erstwhile had astatine Barcelona oregon Cristiano Ronaldo astatine Real Madrid,’ Ballack explained.

‘This illustration shows that going to Real is simply a antithetic substance altogether. Nevertheless, Kylian Mbappe is an outstanding subordinate and volition of people beryllium a sensation.’

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